Monster-in-Law (2005)

The love life of Charlotte is reduced to an endless string of disastrous blind dates, until she meets the perfect man, Kevin. Unfortunately, his merciless mother will do anything to destroy their relationship.

Director:

Robert Luketic

Writer:

Anya Kochoff

Stars:

Jennifer Lopez, Jane Fonda, Michael Vartan

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Lopez	...	Charlotte 'Charlie' Cantilini
Jane Fonda	...	Viola Fields
Michael Vartan	...	Dr. Kevin Fields
Wanda Sykes	...	Ruby
Adam Scott	...	Remy
Monet Mazur	...	Fiona
Annie Parisse	...	Morgan
Will Arnett	...	Kit
Elaine Stritch	...	Gertrude
Stephen Dunham	...	Dr. Paul Chamberlain
Randee Heller	...	Beverly Hills Dog Owner
Mark Moses	...	Coffee Shop Customer
Tomiko Fraser	...	Coffee Shop Clerk
Rochelle Flexer	...	Dr. Patel's Nurse
Wayne Nickel	...	George

Storyline

After years of looking for Mr. Right, Charlotte 'Charlie' Cantilini finally finds the man of her dreams, Kevin Fields, only to discover that his mother, Viola, is the woman of her nightmares. A recently fired news anchor who is afraid she will lose her son the way she has just lost her career, Viola determines to scare off her son's new fiancé by becoming the world's worst mother-in-law. While Viola's long-time assistant Ruby does her best to help Viola execute her crazy schemes, Charlie decides to fight back and the gloves come off as the two women battle it out to see just who is the alpha-female.

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Plot Keywords:

mother in law | breakdown | scheme | dog walker | mansion | 

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Taglines:

She met the perfect man. Then she met his mother.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sex references and language

Details

Official Sites:

New Line Cinema [us]

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 May 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Schwiegermonster

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,307,593 (Italy) (7 October 2005)

Gross:

$1,307,593 (Italy) (7 October 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, BenderSpink, Spring Creek Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jane Fonda's first film since 1990's Stanley & Iris.

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Goofs

When Charlie picks up the dogs she walks, the open front door behind her shows a short front lawn and a busy street; the exterior shot of her running down the front lawn as the dog owner waves goodbye from the door shows a much larger front lawn.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Charlie sitting at her desk at home. Phone rings. Charlie lets the answering machine pick up and listens to the recording]
Charlotte 'Charlie' Cantilini: [Answering machine message] Hi, it's Charlie. Leave a message.
[Answering machine beeps to signal beginning of message]
Carol, from LA Temp Agency: [Leaving message on answering machine] Hi Charlie, it's Carol from the L.A. Temp Agency. Listen, Dr. Patel's office needs you for tomorrow. Is that ok? Let me know. Bye.
[Answering machine beeps signaling end of message]
Remy: [Charlie sketching]
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Peter Sarsgaard/The Strokes (2006)

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Soundtracks

"1963"
Written by Rachael Yamagata and Mark Batson
Performed by Rachael Yamagata
Courtesy of RCA Victor
By Arrangement with SONY BMG Music Licensing

User Reviews

The Legend And The Temp

I had such a thrill watching the unsinkable Jane Fonda making a wonderful fool of herself that I've actually saw it twice. The second time with my thumb on the fast forward. I've watched Jane's Viola interview that Brittany Spears clone many, many times. It's outrageously close to the knuckle and Fonda goes for it, body and soul. The problem resides elsewhere. I hope Jennifer Lopez has someone around her who can tell her the truth. She is so bad that the film can't recover from the heaviness of her romantic turns. She is the iceberg to this particular titanic. There is not a moment of sincerity in her entire performance and the fact that she is standing opposite one of the most truthful of actresses in the history of acting makes her appearance all the more jarring. Jane please, gives as more, Jennifer, go back to school.